Egypt: Men sentenced to death were 'demons', says court

Cairo: An Egyptian court that sentenced to death 37 Islamists and handed life terms to 492 others has defended its verdict, saying the men were "demons" who followed Jewish scripture.

The court in the central city of Minya had triggered international outrage earlier this year for sentencing to death hundreds of alleged supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Mursi in two separate mass trials which only lasted minutes.

In one trial in March, 529 were sentenced to death for the killing of a police officer but the court later upheld the sentencing against only 37 of them, while the rest were jailed for life.

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In a statement on Sunday to justify its decision, the court said: "The accused came out of the depths of hell ... to plunder Egypt's wealth, tyrannise its people and they killed the deputy commissioner."

It described the men as "enemies of the nation" who used mosques to promote the teachings of "their holy book, the Talmud", a central text of Judaism.

Death sentences were handed down to people accused of involvement in the murder and attempted murder of policemen in Minya. Photo: AFP

The military toppled Mursi in July last year following mass protests against his year in power, and security forces launched a crackdown on his supporters, killing hundreds and arresting thousands more.